Ex-drug Kingpin Helps Fbi Ensnare Cop

Jailed Dealer Says He Lost Narcotics Empire To Officer

The former kingpin of a drug operation authorities say was taken over by a veteran Chicago police officer is a key witness against the officer and had played a pivotal role several years ago in bringing down two rogue cops.

Federal prosecutors, according to last week's charges, had been investigating Miedzianowski for several months but only secured Martir's confession on Dec. 11--five days before Miedzianowski and 11 others were charged in a narcotics conspiracy.

Martir told FBI agents that he had handed over the day-to-day operations of his cocaine and heroin drug ring here to Miedzianowski before moving on to Miami in 1996, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court here.

Officer Miedzianowski, in Martir's version to the FBI, warned drug traffickers about police investigations, brokered his own cocaine deals, identified possible police snitches and illegally supplied guns to members of his gang.

A key part of the prosecution evidence comes from about 20 taped telephone conversations from Martir's federal prison cell in Miami to Miedzianowski in Chicago.

Oddly enough, Miedzianowski was unconcerned that phone calls from prisoners are routinely monitored, sources said, and that Martir's words had helped bring down two other Chicago cops.

In that earlier corruption case, former Officers Rick Runnels Sr. and Leonard Kurz were arrested for an on-duty crime spree of robbery and terror of three Hispanic-owned businesses they suspected were run, in part, by drug dealers.

One of those targeted businesses was Martir's, the former Squeaky Clean Carwash in the 2800 block of North Pulaski Road.

According to federal court records, Kurz threatened to kill the carwash's night manager, Francisco Figeroa, if he did not open the company safe. The cops left the carwash that night with bundles of cash.

Martir later told authorities that $4,600 was stolen from his safe. Runnels' wife at the time, according to records, found about half of the stolen cash stuffed in her husband's underwear drawer.

In the mid-1990s, Kurz pleaded guilty and Runnels was found guilty after a federal trial in which Martir testified for the prosecution. Both officers were sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison.

Figeroa, who also was charged in last week's drug conspiracy, had also testified for the government at Runnels' 1994 trial. He is now a fugitive.

After Martir had moved out of Chicago and turned over his drug operation to Miedzianowski, authorities said, he set up shop in Miami.

But Martir was arrested along with a number of others in February in a federal drug case. Martir, held in the Federal Detention Center, was considering cooperating with authorities against his Florida connections. Some 1,400 miles away, word had reached Miedzianowski.

According to court documents, "Miedzianowski began to communicate with Martir in order to ensure that Martir . . . would not cooperate against Miedzianowski and other associates of the organization in the Chicago area."

Miedzianowski allegedly told Martir if he kept his mouth shut about the Chicago drug operation, Miedzianowski would put a good word in for him with prosecutors in Florida so Martir's sentence would be reduced. He also allegedly promised to collect money for Martir's criminal defense.

After getting those assurances, authorities said, Martir pleaded guilty and provided law enforcement information only about his Florida drug connections. Those court records have since been sealed.

But, according to sources, an informant later tipped the authorities that Martir had been regularly calling Miedzianowski from prison. Those recordings, authorities said, contained a wealth of incriminating evidence.

In one cryptic conversation filled with profanities and street slang, Miedzianowski told Martir he heard rumors that Martir was cooperating with the feds. Records from the August phone call, show the following conversation took place:

Martir--All right, man. I know, man, like I say, man. I'm, I ain't gonna hit below the belt with those that I know. . . . You know what I'm saying. . . . You, know, I'm a friend for life. Straight up.